Children now prefer TV to family
Rushda:
September 27th, 2007
A new survey has shown that youngsters actually spend more time watching television than spending time with their family. Now that television is becoming an indispensable part of more and more kids’ lives, researchers worry that this could actually lower literacy levels and social skills, and they urge that more time be spent doing social activities such as reading together.
The research was encouraged by the Government and coordinated by Booktime, a company that encourages reading amongst children. The survey of 1,800 families found that in some families, shared meal times occurred only for 17 minutes a day, with many youngsters and adults leading completely separate lives. Many experts believe that the parents are to blame as they do not spend very much time reading to their children. The survey actually found that the higher the father’s earnings, the more likely he was to read with the children, but interestingly, this worked the opposite with the mother.
As Sue Palmer, author of Toxic Childhood, commented on the study:
“Unlike the free-range youngsters of the past, most are kept penned up at home rather than out to play. And with most parents working - or exhaustedly trying to fit domestic responsibilities around work - there isn’t much time for family activities either.”
Researchers say that television should be cut down, as the survey shows that it is “biggest single home activity” for children, with an average watching time of almost eight hours a week. Perhaps this is the result of the surge in number of channels and programmes dedicated to youngsters - but parents should make sure that children only watch TV in moderate amounts and spend more time doing various other activities.